GOOSE MOUNTAIN

Employees of the Western Tractor dealership in Lethbridge moved to a new location last weekend. It didn’t take long for them to notice they had a squatter.

A Canada goose laid four eggs on the top of a gravel pile in the middle of the parking lot.

“She’s famous now and we are all waiting for the goslings to come,“ says Steven Dyck, President and General Manager of Western Tractor.

The bird had no plans to move, so Dyck did what any other businessman in his position would – he set up a protective barricade around the mama goose and directed his men to steer clear until the goslings hatched.

“You think about mother nature to cause us lots of interruption in building projects. We anticipate all those things, but this was not one that was forecasted for us.”

Although Canada geese are protected by the federal migratory birds convention act, if the birds do become a nuisance, the legislation does allow for some flexibility.

With an Environment Canada “scare permit,” landowners can use a firearm to startle the geese away.

“We did have the ability to relocate the bird, but this was the bird’s home before we were here, so we want to be respectful.”

Dyck says now the gravel pile is now known as “Goose Mountain” and there is even a naming competition among staff.

“There is a contest going around to the name the goose. The last one was Waterloo, which happens to be one of our nearby factories . It’s kind of fitting for a water fowl”